Rare American Chestnut Trees Discovered

Rare American Chestnut Trees Discovered

... Quote:

ALBANY, Ga. - A stand of American chestnut trees that
somehow escaped a blight that killed off nearly all their kind in the early 1900s has been discovered along a hiking trail not far from President
Franklin D. Roosevelt's Little White House at Warm Springs.

The find has stirred excitement among those working to restore the American chestnut, and raised hopes that scientists might be able to use the pollen
to breed hardier chestnut trees.

"There's something about this place that has allowed them to endure the blight," said Nathan Klaus, a biologist with the Georgia Department of
Natural Resources who spotted the trees. "It's either that these trees are able to resist the blight, which is unlikely, or Pine Mountain has
something unique that is giving these trees resistance."

Rear chestnut trees that escaped a fast growing fungus back in 1904, were discovered near Roosevelts little white house at Warm Springs. Scientists
plan to use the pollen to breed hardier chestnut trees.

By YCON:
posted on 19-5-2006

Interesting:dbguy

By Freshly_baked:
posted on 5-8-2006

Hey facinating ... Just like the grape virus that killed all the european old grape varieties in the 1800's I think, so that the only grape varieties
left in the world are those that were grown outside of europe.